Brotherhood

With the defeat of Nazi Germany in 1945, much of Europe lay in ruins. Poland, which had endured the worst of both Nazi and Soviet occupation, found itself with a power vacuum after the Germans withdrew. At the Yalta and Potsdam conferences, U.S. presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman, along with British prime minister Winston Churchill, met with Soviet premier Joseph Stalin to discuss the shape of postwar Europe. Stalin agreed to allow free democratic elections in the liberated countries of eastern Europe, and to allow the creation of a provisional government in Poland which was to be a coalition of both communist and pro-Western elements (InfoPoland, 2000). This was an advantageous arrangement for the Soviet Union, since the Red Army was still in the area and could easily influence the outcomes of such elections. In addition, the Soviets could easily claim the moral high ground as the people who had freed eastern Europe from fascist oppression.

In 1946, the Polish government held a referendum to decide whether or not the country should nationalize its economy and collectivize its agriculture. Despite considerable opposition from the Polish people, the referendum – now believed to be rigged (Kaufman, 1989) – passed, and the Polish state began to look more and more like the Soviet Union. Then, in 1947, Poland held its promised democratic election. The only opposition to the precursor of the Polish United Workers’ Party which was allowed came from the Polish Peasant Party, which proved to be less than effective (InfoPoland, 2000). The Polish communists thus took complete control of the government and stamped out any remaining political opposition, thereby consolidating their own position. Over the next two years or so, the communists completed their stranglehold on the Polish government.

Over the course of the late 1940s and early 1950s, the communist regime in Poland grew steadily more totalitarian, closely resembling the Soviet model in many key respects: a command economy, a police state, forced collectivization, sponsored ideology, religious persecution, and historical revisionism were some of the most important (InfoPoland, 2000). In addition, as a communist state within the Soviet sphere of influence, the Polish government was expected to “toe the line” and remain strictly subservient to Moscow.

This poster, published circa 1950, depicts a skeleton and a socialite with arms interlocked, drinking from a top hat and a German helmet, respectively. The top hat has a depiction of the American flag on it, and the helmet displays a Nazi-style swastika. The caption reads “Brotherhood.” The key theme of this poster is the equation of Western capitalism with fascism, depicting them as essentially two sides of the same coin. Indeed, drinking beverages in the manner depicted, with one’s arm interlocked with that of another, is a common symbol of fraternization and affection. The skeleton probably represents an idea of death; thus, its presence with the symbols of fascism and capitalism suggests that the poster’s creators considered both systems to be deadly, both to the Poles and to the rest of the world. This equation of fascism and capitalism was a common one in the Soviet Union during this time period; as such, it is hardly surprising to see it transferred to one of its satellite states.

Sources:

http://digitalpostercollection.com/bruderszaft/.

Kaufman, Michael T. “40 Years of Communism in Poland: Stalin’s House on a Soft Foundation.” New York Times, August 18, 1989. http://www.nytimes.com/1989/08/18/world/40-years-of-communism-in-poland-stalin-s-house-on-a-soft-foundation.html.